Springfield metro area's unemployment rate spikes in January

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate increased by a full percentage point in January, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties – recorded a January jobless rate of 3.8%, which was up from 2.8% in December, according to a news release.

The state's metro areas, by January unemployment rate, are as follows:

• Jefferson City, 3.5%, up from 2.5% in December
• Columbia, 3.6%, up from 2.4%
• Cape Girardeau, 3.8%, up from 2.9%
• Joplin, 3.8%, up from 3.1%
• Springfield, 3.8%, up from 2.8%
• Kansas City, 4.2%, up from 3.2%
• St. Joseph, 4.3%, up from 3%
• St. Louis, 4.3%, up from 3.2%

Missouri's January unemployment rate was 4.4%, an increase from 3.2% in December, according to the release. The BLS data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with a year prior, January's unemployment rates were higher in 290 of the 387 metro areas measured nationwide by the BLS, lower in 64 and unchanged in 33. The Springfield MSA's January 2024 unemployment rate was 3.3%.